CONTROLOGY X MONTANA FARRAH-SEATON

Posted on Oct 04, 2018

From the runway to the ring, Montana is equal parts glamour and grunge. A model, basketballer & trainer at Tribute Boxing, she juggles an incredibly active lifestyle with style and grace. No stranger to striking a pose and throwing a killer punch, Montana is fabulous and fierce all at the same time.

Let’s start with boxing…

Well, I play basketball and have been doing that for about ten years now. Boxing was just a little bit of fitness to change it up and try something new and it stemmed from there. I’ve been doing it for about two and a half years now and loving it.

Tell us a bit about basketball…

My mum played basketball and her father played basketball, so it’s just something I picked up along the way. I’ve been playing for ten years and loving it. I represented NSW Country for all my juniors, played 3-on-3 for NSW as well, and for three years in a row I represented Australia. We went to New Zealand, Fiji, and then Amsterdam, Spain and Austria for Worlds in 2015, where we won bronze, so that was amazing.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

Has anything you learned while playing professional basketball transferred over to boxing?

I think the biggest thing I’ve taken from basketball to boxing is my footwork. In basketball you always have to stay ready, you’re constantly moving laterally, forward, backwards. Most people don’t think boxing is a lot about footwork, but once you learn a little bit you realise it’s actually a full body movement. It’s not just about the arms, it’s about the legs, it’s about the feet, so those lower body skills from basketball have definitely been useful.

What’s your favourite part about boxing?

Nailing a good combination, definitely. Being a little bit flashy on the pads is always good fun. But also, the team. Boxing is an individual sport but if you look at the pro fighters, they’ve always got a team behind them, they’ve got people in their corner, they wouldn’t be there without them, so that’s become really important to me.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

You’re also a model, which is quite a juxtaposition from basketball and boxing, tell us a bit about that…

I started modelling with Chadwicks in Sydney about 7 years ago and then went overseas to model in India and Europe, and then moved to Melbourne and am now with Chadwicks here as well. But yeah, my modelling and fitness lives are pretty different; one’s focused on beauty and one’s a bit more grungy, but it’s exactly how I am. A bit of both. I love modelling but I also love sweating it out at the gym and I think that really transfers over. A lot of people think modelling is a really glamorous job, but you work really long hours and it can be tough, so the fitness and health side of me has really helped with my endurance in modelling as well.

You’re clearly an extremely active person, what motivates you?

I think the biggest thing is if you’re able to move your body, move your body. There are a lot of people that can’t, so do it for yourself but also for those who can’t. Physical strength and fitness also really correlate with my mental state. I really feel it if I don't work out for a couple days...not only my body, but mentally. You don’t think clearly, emotionally you’re all over the place, so it really allows me to clear my head. It’s my form of meditation.

You recently had your first fight, tell us about that:

I fought for the first time in May. At Tribute we do a member’s fight night, so anyone that’s interested can join. We do 10 weeks of training camp and have a big fight night at the end. You really learn a lot about not only yourself, but also the people you’re training with. You become close with people you might not have had the opportunity to anywhere else. It was definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done but I loved it.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

What was the hardest thing that you had to learn to prepare?

Definitely learning how to take a hit. The biggest thing was learning how to get hit and keep moving forward, which also translates into everyday life: you get knocked down but it’s about getting back up again. People learn a lot about themselves while training - they go into it thinking they’re a really strong person mentally, but the moment you get into the ring and someone’s coming after you it’s fight or flight.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

What’s different about training and actually fighting?

Everyone thinks they feel and look pretty good on the bags and practising in the ring, but a fight is completely different. You feel like everything just goes out the window. You have someone throwing punches at you and you have to react on the spot. I might have looked alright practising on the bags, but in the ring, it definitely gets a bit ugly at times.

Have you ever watched your fight?

No, I’ve never watched it and I never want to…haha.

Well, how’d you go?

I won! So I was pretty happy about that.

Have you ever experienced any negativity while boxing, since it’s traditionally a male-dominated sport?

No, not really. The guys I work with here are all great, and all of our members as well. Originally boxing was male-dominated, but now females are really getting into it and loving it. Half of our gym or more are all females. I think it’s all about learning how to be stronger. Women learn how to throw a punch and they love it, it’s empowering to them. I definitely think the male-dominated culture is changing.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

What other types of workouts do you do?

I do sprints three or four times a week. I also love pilates, which I’ve started to get back into recently. Sometimes I do yoga, but I’m the kind of person who doesn’t feel like they’re working hard unless they’re sweating, so I have to remind myself to take it easy sometimes and look after myself more. Basketball, strength training, running, etc. I love burpees haha...I guess you could say I’m a bit crazy!

The secret is there is no secret. Just get it done. Just get up and get it done. You’ll feel better for it. I won’t lie, I don’t wake up every morning fresh and thinking I can’t wait to get out of bed at 4:30 in the morning. There are obviously days where you literally just don’t want to get out of bed, but you do it because you know you’ll feel better for it in the end. But there are also certain days when I don’t train because I listen to my body and I know my body needs the rest.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

You’ve got a great Instagram following, what are your thoughts on social media?

I think social media is great for some things. A lot of people might say oh you’re addicted to socials, but if I can inspire people through it then it’s worth it. If I can inspire somebody to get up and go to the gym or even on a walk, then I’ve done my job. I love social media, but sometimes I feel like we get consumed in a world where there’s a perfect picture, but what’s on Instagram isn’t reality. You have to try to not get caught up in it and make sure you’re using it as a healthy outlet and not as a negative one where you’re always comparing yourself to other people.

What are your thoughts on activewear?

I absolutely love it. I wear it to work, I wear it outside of work, I wear it everywhere. I would say I’m in activewear 90% of the time, so I’m always looking for quality stuff that will last.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

What do you say to people who have never boxed before?

A lot of people are scared getting into the ring during classes because they feel like they’re on top of a pedestal and everyone’s watching them, but I always encourage people to just give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen? You throw a couple of punches on a pad and if you don’t like it, that’s fine, but people usually end up loving it. I think everyone has a little bit of frustration and being able to get that out on a bag means you don’t keep it bottled up inside. You might be frustrated coming into the gym after a stressful day, but you leave feeling clean and clear.

Montana wearing the Avant Rib Crop in White and the Elastic Pilates Short in Black. Coming soon!

What do you say to people who can’t find the motivation to stay active?

Find the time when you’re most motivated. For some people that’s in the morning, for some it’s at night, so find what works best for you and then make the time. Most people say they don’t have time to work out, but an hour workout is 4% of your day, half and hour is 2%. Multiplying that by four times a week is going to make a difference and then you’ll see and understand how you feel when you workout and you’ll be motivated to continue on. Just find something that makes you excited and you’ll feel better and thank yourself in the end.